Month: October 2013

Southgate Cricket Club has teamed up with the Stephen James Group to provide a stunning competition prize at the Walker Ground Fireworks Display on Saturday 2nd of November.

The challenge is to roll seven consecutive sixes on a dice and you drive away in a rather nice BMW 1 Series! Punters pay £5 to have a go and hopefully we can generate some much needed finance for the cricket club.

GRAND FIREWORKS RAFFLE

We are also running a fantastic raffle with some magnificent prizes on offer:

Prize 1 – An official fully autographed crcket bat with all of the signatures of the England and Australia Test Match Squads from this summer’s Investec Ashes Series.

Prize 2 – James Anderson’s test match shirt, signed by the man himself!

Prize 3 – A fully signed team photograph of the England ODI Squad

Raffle Tickets will be available from members of the cricket club on Saturday night. If you are available to help out please contact Rob.

You may recall in the last game of the season the Second XI notched up an amazing victory against Ickenham, chasing down a total of 328. Well, this is how it happened, thanks to possibly the latest match report in history.

A reminder of the score…

2nd XI

Ickenham v Southgate

Southgate won by 3 wickets; Southgate 10 points

Ickenham 327-2 dec (45 overs)

Southgate 331-7 (53 overs)

K Jankowicz 80

M Hughes 75

S Ellis 40

The second team came into the final game of the season with nothing to play for but pride! The greatest prize of all. After winning the toss and deciding to bowl we were faced with an opening partnership that included their Kiwi overseas pro who smashed us for 90 odd off about 3 overs at the Walker Ground earlier in the season. We knew that an early wicket was essential and, 261 runs later, we had our well deserved wicket! Goldstone, the young Kiwi, was eventually out for 161, LBW to Jankowicz in a fantastic spell of bowling, ending one of the finest displays of batting that I have ever seen. Unlike the innings at our place, in which we dropped him second ball and went on to drop him three more times, this innings was literally chanceless.

At 45 overs Ickenham declared at 327 for 2 with the other opener, Crompton, not out for 119.

NB – Tea had some fantastic profiteroles.

So 328 from 55 overs was the target we had ahead of us. Jankowicz and Hughes strode out to the crease with the team feeling a strange sense of optimism over the huge task that laid ahead of us. Like theirs, our opening partnership got off to a fantastic start. Hughes played the most splendid innings for his 75. He showed an array of shots hitting 4s on the ground to all areas of the field with his only 6 sailing into sight screen from the best hit leading edge I have had pleasure to witness. Jankowicz lead the charge and used his feet to upset the length of the opening bowlers which allowed him to hit numerous 6s, including the biggest 6 I have ever seen – I swear the ball was still rising as it flew over the sightscreen to be lost forever!

After losing the opening pair Southgate never fell far below the required run-rate but did keep losing wickets. Each batsman made a contribution including a trademark, rapid 40 from Ellis, including 24 from an over (no biggie).

But it was left to the youngsters to finish it off and De Crescenzo, making his 2nd team debut, made a valuable contribution near the end before Stratton and Kalagara, unbeaten on 23 and 24 respectively, finished off the best run chase of the season. Kalagara hitting a final 6 to end the game with over four overs to spare.

The 2013 campaign for the Southgate 1st team was very much an exercise of rebuilding and transition at the club. After our dismissal performance in the Prem the year before where we were blown away in most matches we realised that the team we had was simply not good enough for that league and it was time to go back to the drawing board.

It was a great honour to be elected club captain after being backed by the senior and younger members within the club and the emphasis was going to be on change. The vision is to try to build a squad good enough within 2/3 years to achieve promotion into the top league and consolidate our position in that league. I’ve been part of the squad for the last 3 occasions when we have been relegated from the Prem within the last 10 years, only surviving the 2003 season the rest we’ve been relegated in the same season. The plan is to build a side good enough to ensure our position in the Prem as ultimately it’s where you need to be playing as a cricketer and a good breeding ground to attract more top quality players.

So leading into the season after a good pre season of planning and winter netting the aim was to throw the youngsters in at the deep end and give them the chance to take their opportunities and become match winners. The three in particular whom I’ve played with in the last few years who are the central focus and nucleus to my plans are Phil Dunnett ( appointed vice captain ), Tom Edrich ( who showed us glimpses of his talent the previous year ) and Ashley Sivarajah (who bowled well in the last 2 years). All were to be given the prime slots in the side after discussing their roles with them in the winter with the combination of myself and the other senior players contributing.

However in the very first competitive game of the season in bizarre fashion a freak injury to my achilles struck when batting in a run chase in the National against Colchester and East Essex at home ruling me out potentially for the rest of the season. Bitter pill to swallow and all sorts of thoughts running through my mind in regards to my best laid plans. However much credit must be given to my young vice at the time Phil Dunnett who after discussing and encouraging him stepped up and agreed to skipper the side . Knowing my plans and that I would be there assisting him on and off the pitch albeit with one leg was more than enough for Phil to agree.

And so to the season:

The first half of the season was somewhat mixed with results. After getting a disappointing losing draw in our first game against Shepards Bush where the weather intervened the second game saw us get beaten by the eventual league winners North Midd with a notable 1st league 50 for young Tom Edrich and a very good 48 from our overseas recruit Chris Blake. The third game saw us at home against Harrow Town were we registered our first league win in twenty months after bowling superbly ( woffinden with 4 and our Blake with 3 ) restricting them to 108 and then Edrich seeing it through with a good 46 alongside Phil with 19. A great sight to see the youngsters seeing it through and very much part of the transition period. The squad felt that the monkey was well and truly off our back and it was time to kick on.

Unfortunately the following game against Harrow St Mary’s (who would end up beating us twice in the year) didn’t quite go to script. Getting inserted on a damp one, we were skittled for a relatively low score of 115 which they ended up knocking off with relative ease. The next game at home saw the side bounce back with a good win over high flying Brentham with Woffinden in the wickets again (3) and young Ashley Sivarajah announcing himself with a tidy bowling display which ended up in him getting three also. Another 50 from Edrich which we were all getting use to by now and a great 72* from Blake who really put Brentham to the sword saw us claim a well earned 10 points.

The weather played it’s part in the next game at Uxbridge and we ended up with four points after trying to chase down 187 in 20 overs. The following game would see us at home against Brondesbury, a team who had come down with us from the Prem and a good test to see where we were. With overs being reduced the game was shortened and we were left with 48 overs to chase 196, a brave declaration we thought and very much achievable. However with a quartet of decent seamers Brondesbury really put the skids on us and we were never in the hunt. Not for the first time this season we were bowled out in the penultimate over and didn’t really deserve anything.

Newly promoted Ickenham were next at home and the side once again bounced back with a telling victory bowling the oppo out for
97, the chief destroyer Dave Woffinden with a 6 fer alongsie Ashley who bowled well. Edrich seeing it through with another good 44 not out was pleasing. What was encouraging at this point from the sidelines was that the team after a loss were putting the record straight by winning in the very next game but ultimately consistency proved to be a real problem throughout the season and the second half would portray that.

The final game of the first half the season saw us travel to Harrow where truth be told we should have won the game or at least got four points but ended up getting one by not figuring out the correct run rate. Our triple threat of slow bowlers (Woffs -3, Ash -2 and Haseeb -3 ) all playing their part and restricting Harrow to 207. After getting off to a good start and looking set to win comfortably we failed to get the four point total ending up on 200 when it was 201 needed. Bitterly disappointing but positives were yet another good steady innings of 72 from Edrich.

Lying in midtable the second half of the campaign started away at Shepards Bush on one of the hottest days of the year coupled with our best batting display of the year. The Bush after winning the toss inserted us and how they would regret it. A batting master class from Chris Blake and Tom Edrich ensued resulting in a 217 run opening partnership. Maiden tons in the league for the new Southgate opening pair, great signs moving forward. Declaring after 50 overs on 287 gave us a chance but on such a benign pitch it was always going to be hard work. Woffs with another 4fer and Ash picking up 2 bowled really well but could only manage to get them 8 down but a decent 4 points nevertheless.

The next test was against top of the table North Midd who were demolishing teams week in week out and were looking the real deal after threatening in past seasons. After restricting them to 202 of 55 overs with a fine bowling display from yet again Woffs (3fer) and Ash (4fer) bowling 21 overs straight there was a real sense of belief that 202 in 45 overs was chaseable. Once again our batting would let us down although credit must be given North Midd who produced the best bowling display of the year against us, skittling us for 105.

As consistency would prove we bounced back the very next game dishing it out to Harrow Town bowling them out for 139 . This could have been much lower if it wasn’t for their number 10 who managed to get 40 . Ashley (3 fer) and Woffinden (5 fer again ) bowling 20 overs each in tandem with two good run outs. The chase would be a fairly easy one and would leave us everything to play for going into the backend of the campaign especially with the news that the skipper who had responded well to his treatment and after some fairly intense rehab would be back for the last 6 games.

A special mention and thank you must be given to my vice Phil Dunnett who did a fantastic job in my absence under some real testing times with no more than 4 ex captains in the side. To captain, keep wicket and bat in the top order was probably too much a burden on such young shoulders but Phil really took it in his stride and did a thoroughly good job. He more or less carried out the blueprint of what was discussed between himself and me on a friday night and in the off season to ensure that the team was on the right track.

The first game back for myself was against Harrow St Marys who after getting promoted last year were proving that they belonged in this division with a win against Brondesbury a few weeks earlier. Winning the toss we decided to bowl and for 40 overs looked on top of things 135-6. Good signs with some tight bowling and backed up by good fielding. However the last 12 overs were somewhat ill disciplined and ended up in us handing them 110 runs resulting in them reaching 242 in 53 overs. A tough target to chase but the team were in the mood to have a good stab at it. Chris Blake (64) got us off to a flyer but with wickets falling we were always up against it. As was the case throughout the season the middle order did not fire and we were left with a bitter taste in our mouth as we ended up handing the 10 points to them after collapsing and getting bowled out with 9 balls to spare.

The next game saw us at Brentham and was very similar to the loss the week earlier however we managed to grab a point after bowling really well for 49 overs restricting them to 186-8 but couldn’t quite finish them off and they meandered to 217 of the maximum 55 overs. Very frustrating as all the bowlers bowled well but we couldn’t land that telling blow but a target we thought was very chaseable , however early wickets meant once again we were up against it . A dismal performance with the bat resulted in us reaching 132 -8 of 45 overs with the only shining light being Tom Edrich who belied his years and batted through the entire innings with a gutsy 72*. A very pleasing innings from Tom and one which showed real character and maturity.

With other results not going our way and with only four games to go in a very tight compressed league we were hovering towards the bottom end of the table. A home game against Uxbridge which in hindsight would be our worst performance of the year saw us capitulate to new levels. Again after bowling with great discipline and fielding excellently we restricted Uxbridge to 174 with the duo of Ashley ( 5 fer) and Woffinden (2 fer) the chief tormentors ably backed up by Blake and Johnson. The chase started in great fashion with Chris Blake(88) blitzing it to all parts and it would look like an early finish the way he was playing. Then disaster struck with two unnecessary run outs which completely shifted the momentum of the game. The score read 137-4 after those two run outs and what followed after that was a complete aberration. Having needing only 40 runs of 20 overs we somehow managed to collapse (not for the first time ) to 153 all out meaning the last 6 wickets falling for 16 runs.

A few choice words were spoken in the dressing room by a bitterely disappointing skipper but we had to move on and learn from it to try to get something in the last three games.

All fixtures the following week were a complete wash out and so the remaining two games we needed to get maximum points to salvage some pride and get up that table , back to back wins not achieved all year.

The penultimate game was against second to bottom Ickenham, the toss was lost and we were inserted on a very good looking track. Chris Blake (88) made full use of this alongside Tom Edrich and both put on a fantastic hundred partnership with Chris despatching the ball to all parts of the ground with his powerful strokeplay and Edrich being a great foil at the other end. Both have formed a great understanding of each others game and I hope this new opening pair can continue in the same vain and improve for next season. Typically a mid order mini collapse after drinks ensued but some good late resistance from the lower order got us to 270 of 55 overs. Some powerful top order hitting saw Ickenham get off to a flyer in the first 10 overs with the score on 80 but the introduction of the ever reliable twin pairing of Dave Woffinden and now Ashley Sivarajah slowed things up dramatically. Woffinden (4 fer) bowled with great control in his last league match and tied the batters up in all sorts of knots. Ashley (3 fer) at the other end did what he had done so well this year and closed his end up as well as asking probing questions. Both as they have been doing all season bowled great in tandem and have also formed a formidable partnership. To be honest they haven’t given the other slow bowlers a look in which is a good thing even though Haseeb Bajwa came on at the end and picked up the last three wickets. A much needed 10 points and a great sign that the team was finally clicking late on in the season.

The final league game saw us against third place Harrow and after the debacle at their place a little pay back was in order. Our performance in our last fixture at home was of pure dominance. With the toss negotiated we decided to bowl and the opening pair of Blake and Mir set the tone troubling the batters from the off. This continued throughout the whole innings with Ashley/Berman and Johnson as well as Haseeb bowling well. Its fair to say it was one of the most polished bowling displays on the field we have churned out in the 2013 season and something to look forward to going into next season.

Blake and Edrich broke the spine of the chase with a 90 run partnership with Chris ( another 81 ! ) in imperious form dominating from ball one and the game was won with 15 overs to spare. Chris has been a great acquistion for the club this year and I hope he can convert those 80’s into big hundreds next year. His bowling has come on leaps and bounds and he’ll be working hard in the off season to really hit his straps next year.

So we finish off in mid table at the end of the season with a points tally of 72 , only four points behind third.

North Middlesex

18

11

0

0

1

2

4

113

Brondesbury

18

9

0

4

1

2

2

109

Shepherds Bush

18

6

0

3

3

1

5

76

Harrow St Mary’s

18

6

0

2

4

2

4

74

Harrow

18

5

0

5

2

2

4

74

Southgate

18

6

0

2

3

1

6

72

Uxbridge

18

6

0

2

2

1

7

71

Brentham

18

4

0

3

5

1

5

58

Ickenham

18

2

0

3

3

1

9

36

Harrow Town

18

2

0

2

2

1

11

30

Looking back at the season as a whole I would say that consistency was our downfall, if we could have just finished teams off or kept our discilplines we would have certainly ended up as third best or maybe even challenged for promotion. Yes the team was experimented with and changes were made with the old guard making way for the youngsters but that was always the plan.

The transition period and the plan to rebuild has certainly come to fruition this year with most of the boxes ticked. It was always going to be difficult to rebuild a 1st team that can carry Southgate forward as I can’t recall it being done in my time at Southgate but the youngsters have really grasped their opportunities and proved they are genuine 1st team players now.

The key contributers this year with the bat have been the new dynamic opening duo of Chris Blake and Tom Edrich.

Both have had an outstanding year scoring 1350 league runs between them with Chris in his first season just missing out on being the leagues top run scorer by 12 runs. He scored 742 runs with an average of 49.47 with five fifties and a hundred. Tom has had a fantastic first season opening the batting scored 609 runs with an average of 43.50 with four fifties and a superb maiden league hundred.

On the bowling front Dave Woffinden and Ashley Sivarajah were the standouts.

It was a real break through year for Ash as I had given him the backing he was going to be the 1st choice spinner in the side and he duly obliged with 36 wickets bowling an incredible 222 overs. Dave Woffinden has been a captain’s dream picking up 38 wickets with his subtle variations and vast experience as well as his brilliant control.

In summary the foundations for a new team have been built and next year will be a very important year for the club. We must strive to be the best in that league as I believe with one or two additions we should be in the mix for promotion, however between now and then a lot of hard work has to be done.

We are by no means the finished article and the thing which probably let us down the most this season has been our batting. Apart from the opening pair of Blake and Edrich who amassed 1350 runs between them not one batsmen passed 200 runs. The bowling has been very good with Woffinden and Ashley picking up 75 wickets between them. These bowling and batting numbers usually puts a side right up there in the promotion mix at the end of the season providing other guys in the team have contributed but the truth is no-one has really come to the party so its very much something to think about next year for all concerned.

I’d just like to thank all that have been involved with the side this year, I have a very good feeling about our chances next year providing we work hard and improve on our efforts this year.

Thank you to all who participate in the above. Your support is much appreciated and is a significant contributor to much needed Club funds.

The first draw of 2013 was held on October 02 and the winners are:

1st Prize £300 Mike Molloy

Mike is an extremely loyal cricket club honorary member who not only supports Club teams every week but also many Club activities as well.

2nd Prize £100 Mrs Doreen Leithead

Mrs Leithead is the widow of a former player, Chris, and kindly agreed to support the 200 Club after his death.

3rd Prize £50 Faisal Mir

A welcome bonus for the 1st XI captain after a difficult first season interrupted almost entirely by a serious leg injury in early May.

The second draw for this year will take place at the Christmas Lunch in the pavilion on Sunday 01 December. Please put this date in your diary now.

Regarding the 200 Club, it has been mooted that we might increase the number of draws from 2 per annum to 4, meaning prizes of £100/£75/£50 each time instead of the current £300/£100/£50. I would appreciate your personal views on that and we will react accordingly.

The lunch will be preceded by a football match between Under30’s and Over 30’s

(last year won comfortably by the Seniors, 6-0.)

After lunch the Club’s Annual Awards ceremony will be held when various cups and trophies will be handed out to deserving recipients.

Last year’s lunch was most enjoyable and accurately described by one senior SCC member as the ‘perfect blending of the generations’.

I would like to repeat that atmosphere again this year and hope as many youngsters and ‘oldsters’, with their partners , will attend again.